Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Haslem, Harris, Bucks

May 10th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Next season could be the end of the line for “Heat lifer” Udonis Haslem, writes Surya Fernandez of Fox Sports Florida. Haslem, who has been with Miami since 2003, will make $2.9MM in 2015/16 during the final season of a two-year contract. Although he can pursue free agency, at age 36 he might find few interested parties outside of Miami. Teammate Dwyane Wade said he would be happy to have Haslem back. “I always feel like we have a great shot when he is on the floor because he will bring something that no one else can bring,” Wade said.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

A New Hampshire mathematics professor has identified the Magic’s Tobias Harris as the NBA’s most underrated player, according to Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Harris, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, got high marks for his ability to shoot three-pointers, drive, rebound and defend.
The Bucks will likely make roster changes this summer, but they would like to keep Khris Middleton, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The team hopes the restricted free agent will choose to stay in Milwaukee and be part of the team’s young core. Co-owner Marc Lasry noted that it’s easier in the NBA to do a one-year turnaround than to maintain success. “Well, I think next year is going to be harder,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be harder. People won’t take us lightly.”
It’s been a long journey for the Hawks‘ Mike Budenholzer to go from a small Arizona town to becoming a successful NBA coach, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Budenholzer’s pro experience started as a film coordinator for the Spurs in 1994. He was promoted to assistant coach two years later, and stayed in San Antonio for 17 more years before landing the head coaching position with the Hawks. “One of the things that’s amazing to me is his demeanor,” said his father, Vince Budenholzer. “The Hawks don’t panic and that’s him staying calm. I think we’ll give the other Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] credit for that.”

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Dedmon, Williams

May 10th, 2015 at 10:14am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are enjoying great dividends from their investment in Paul Pierce, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Pierce, who hit a game-winning shot against the Hawks Saturday, came to Washington last summer after free agent Trevor Ariza left for Houston. Michael notes that the Wizards were able to sign Pierce for a little more than $5MM a year over two seasons, which was about half the money and half the commitment that Ariza wanted.

There’s more this morning from the Southeast Division:

The Magic moved Dewayne Dedmon into their starting lineup March 4; now he hopes to stay there, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Dedmon quickly became a favorite of interim coach James Borrego with his shot blocking and high-intensity style of play. He is signed through next year, although the nearly $950K he is due to make is fully non-guaranteed if he is waived by August 1st.
Consistency was the main thing Marvin Williams brought to the Hornets after signing as a free agent last summer, notes Matt Rochinski of hornets.com. Charlotte lured the North Carolina alum from the Jazz with a two-year deal worth $7MM each season. Through the first four months of the season, Williams averaged 6.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. From March 1 onward, he raised those numbers to 8.8 points and 6.7 boards. “I feel like I finished a lot stronger than I started,” he said. “Obviously with change, sometimes it takes a little while to get acclimated, but that’s an experience I had before in my career so it wasn’t terrible for me.”
With their draft status uncertain, the Heat are turning their attention toward the annual Chicago pre-draft camp, which gets under way Tuesday, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami faces a 9% chance of losing its first-round pick, but that won’t be determined until the May 19th lottery. In the meantime, team president Pat Riley, GM Andy Elisburg and the scouting staff are going to get an up-close look at the top prospects, not just for the first round, but also for Miami’s second-round pick, which falls at number 40.

Heat Notes: Carroll, Chalmers, Deng

May 8th, 2015 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Heat president Pat Riley had the opportunity to blow it all up and build from scratch when LeBron James left to join the Cavs last summer. Instead, he re-signed Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and added Luol Deng in an effort to keep Miami in the playoff mix. As an executive who wants to win in the here and now, it’s perhaps not surprising to hear that Riley’s focus is more on free agency than the draft.

“The very, very best teams in this league are playing developed players, who have had three or four years, or five or 10 years of experience,” Riley said late last month.

And-Ones: Coaches, Jokic, Payne, Draft

May 7th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the college coaches who’ve come into the NBA over the past two decades have either left basketball schools that gave them wide autonomy, joined NBA teams with little hope of success, or both, observes Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated. Brad Stevens doesn’t fit either category, and neither does new Thunder hire Billy Donovan, Taylor argues, suggesting that the success Stevens has found with the Celtics is an auspicious omen for Donovan and a signal that more college coaches are on their way to the league. In any case, Stevens is the only college head coach to jump directly to the NBA since 2000 to guide his NBA team to the playoffs, as I pointed out. Here’s more from around the Association:

The Nuggets are expected to sign 2014 second-round pick Nikola Jokic prior to summer league in July, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. It’s not entirely clear whether the deal will cover only summer league or will formally bring the 6’11” draft-and-stash prospect onto the roster for training camp in the fall. However, the Nuggets are anxious to see last year’s 41st overall pick compete against NBA-caliber talent, Dempsey writes. The 20-year-old center averaged 14.9 points and 9.0 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game this season for KK Mega Vizura in his native Serbia.
It’s Murray State point guard Cameron Payne‘s dual threat of scoring and passing that truly distinguishes him as a top prospect, but his ability to perform on defense is a question mark, as Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress examine. Givony ranks Payne as the 20th-best draft hopeful.
Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, debate the avenues the Nuggets, Heat, Pacers and Jazz have to improve via the draft, sharing conflicting viewpoints on whether it would behoove Utah to spend a third consecutive lottery pick on a point guard.

2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Heat

May 6th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Heat utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Sioux Falls Skyforce

Affiliation Type: One-to-one

D-League Team Record: 29-21

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 4

Total D-League Assignments: 5

Player Stats While On Assignment

Andre Dawkins: 1 assignment, 7 games, 16.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.4 APG. .382/.325/.818.
Zoran Dragic: 1 assignment, 4 games, 16.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.3 APG. .382/.391/.750.
Shabazz Napier: 2 assignments, 4 games, 19.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.5 APG. .419/.450/.810.
Hassan Whiteside: 1 assignment, 1 game, 21.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 4.0 BPG. .909/.000/.500.

D-League Signings

Tyler Johnson (Sioux Falls Skyforce-Heat affiliate): Signed 1st 10-day contract on January 12th; inked 2nd 10-day deal on January 29th; signed for the remainder of the season on February 8th.
Henry Walker (Sioux Falls Skyforce–Heat affiliate): Signed 1st 10-day deal on February 21st; inked 2nd 10-day pact on March 3rd; signed for the remainder of the season on March 13th.
Hassan Whiteside (Iowa Energy-Grizzlies affiliate): Signed on November 24th for the remainder of the 2014/15 season.

Assignment/Recall Log

December 4th: Assigned Andre Dawkins (Recalled December 21st)
December 13th: Assigned Hassan Whiteside (Recalled December 15th)
December 13th: Assigned Shabazz Napier (Recalled December 15th)
December 30th: Assigned Shabazz Napier (Recalled January 6th)
March 4th: Assigned Zoran Dragic (Recalled March 15th)

Eastern Notes: Williams, King, Bucks, Heat

May 5th, 2015 at 2:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have the power to waive Deron Williams using the stretch provision and spread the salaries on his deal, which calls for him to make more than $21.043MM next season with a player option for $22.331MM in 2016/17, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes. It would be unwise to dismiss that possibility, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, but a buyout would be more plausible, a source suggested to Mazzeo. In any case, it’s likely that the Nets will continue to try to shop the point guard, though talks with the Kings probably won’t resurface, Mazzeo surmises. There’s more on the Nets amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Mazzeo was privy to chatter similar to the “serious rumblings” that Lowe heard indicating that the Nets and GM Billy King are close to an extension, though Mazzeo hasn’t heard confirmation of the rumor. A source nonetheless recently told Robert Windrem of NetsDaily that the Nets and King had engaged in no such negotiations.
Bucks GM John Hammond admits the deadline deal that sent out Brandon Knight was one made with the future in mind, but he says the team won’t wait around for the chance to win, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “Make no mistake,” Hammond said. “If we can attract the right kind of player for our team today, we will be as aggressive as possible starting this summer.” The Bucks are a “borderline lock” to make a trade in the offseason if Khris Middleton and Jared Dudley return, Lowe writes in the piece linked above, given the team’s incoming first-round pick and all of the players Milwaukee already has under contract.
Goran Dragic appears likely to re-sign with the Heat, and the team believes it’ll have a roster that can contend as long as Luol Deng, who has a player option, returns, writes Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. Long-term commitments from the team’s core would mean less of a need, and less flexibility for, a free agent push in 2016, as Lieser examines.

Southeast Notes: Carroll, Wittman, Walker

May 1st, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Soon-to-be free agent DeMarre Carroll has benefited from Atlanta’s focus on player development and from playing almost exclusively at small forward, SB Nation’s Paul Flannery details. Some numbers suggest that Carroll, who’s exceeded the team’s expectations on his two-year deal, has been the most important player for the Hawks in their series against the Nets, Flannery points out.

“Player development is big in this league,” Carroll said. “When coaches take time to work kids on their player development, they can succeed. It’s about opportunity and player development. That’s what I believe.”

Atlanta will have Carroll’s Early Bird rights this summer, as we explained. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

Randy Wittman‘s job has never been in jeopardy this season, even when the Wizards lost back-to-back games to the Timberwolves and Sixers, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, and the Wizards coach looked shrewd in the team’s sweep of the Raptors, as Michael details. Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote shortly after those losses that while Wittman’s job wasn’t in immediate danger, there was increasing pressure on him and others within the organization.
Henry Walker faces a stiff challenge to remain with the Heat into next season on his non-guaranteed deal, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he was an obvious choice when the team sought a midseason addition this year, as Surya Fernandez of Fox Sports Florida relays.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel believes the Heat should avoid their pattern of reuniting with their former players when it comes to Dorell Wright, who will become a free agent when his contract with the Blazers expires at the end of June.

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Heat, Hornets

April 25th, 2015 at 6:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are getting exactly what they hoped for from Paul Pierce when they signed him last summer, writes Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders. Pierce helped Washington claim a 3-0 series lead over Toronto with an 11-point fourth quarter in Friday’s Game 3. Davis says Pierce has also brought confidence and professionalism to the Wizards’ locker room. “[Pierce is] not scared of the moment,” said Wizards coach Randy Wittman. “He’s proved he can [still] play.” Washington signed Pierce in July after free agent Trevor Ariza left for Houston.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Pierce understands that the clock is ticking on his NBA career, so he’s enjoying every experience while he can, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Pierce has a two-year deal with the Wizards, but can opt out this summer. “I know I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “So that appreciation goes up. … At this point in my career, I’m savoring these moments because I don’t know how many more of these moments I am going to have.”
Although the Heat are likely to have a top 10 pick, team president Pat Riley seems more focused on free agency than the draft, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “The very, very best teams in this league are playing developed players, who have had three or four years, or five or 10 years of experience,” Riley noted.
The Hornets are making preparations for the dramatic rise in the salary cap that is expected next summer, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The cap is expected to jump from around $67MM per team to about $90MM, and while that’s generally positive, it raises concerns about competitive imbalance. “There’s going to be a market for a lot of guys,” said Hornets vice chairman Curtis Polk, “and you’re going to have to be selective about who fits with what your team’s culture is as well as how the team is going to play offensively and defensively.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Zeller, Gordon

April 22nd, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Veteran guard Ben Gordon became the odd man out in the Magic‘s rotation once James Borrego took over as the team’s interim coach, Ken Hornack of FOX Sports Florida writes. Borrego preferred to see what the backcourt pairing of Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton could accomplish, which left Gordon on the outside looking in, Hornack notes. Gordon’s $4.5MM salary for 2015/16 is non-guaranteed. In 56 games this season Gordon averaged 6.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per contest.

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Hornets big man Cody Zeller had successful surgery today to repair damage to his right shoulder, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). The 22-year-old appeared in 62 contests for Charlotte this season, averaging 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. Zeller is expected to resume basketball activities in three months.
Grant Hill‘s presence as part of the Hawks‘ new ownership group could aid GM Danny Ferry in retaining his position within the organization, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post opines (Twitter link). Ferry and Hill have ties through Duke University, which both men attended, Bontemps notes.
Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press tweeted that Hill’s involvement with the Ressler group should provide a good indicator of how Kevin Garnett could function as part of the Wolves’ ownership when he retires. Garnett has acknowledged an interest in buying the Wolves at some point, and owner Glen Taylor said that his return as a player enhanced his chances of becoming a part-owner.
Heat rookie point guard Shabazz Napier showed promise during his rookie season, but needs to be a more consistent player moving forward, Surya Fernandez of FOX Sports Florida writes in his profile of the player.

Heat Notes: Johnson, Haslem, Luxury Tax

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The athletic Tyler Johnson impressed with his ball-handling and playmaking this season for the Heat, and he’ll need to show more improvement with those ball-handling skills and shoot more consistently, as Surya Fernandez of Fox Sports Florida examines. Johnson has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season that becomes 50% guaranteed if he remains under contract through August 1st, and he made his case for the Heat to keep him. “He’s relentless with his work ethic and with his drive,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “A lot of players would have gotten discouraged by being cut after a full summer and having to go to [D-League] Sioux Falls. He looked at it as an opportunity to get better and play minutes under our guidance and our system. Doors happen to open for players like that and it did when we re-signed him and he made the most of his opportunities so I know he’s poised and looking forward to this offseason.”

Here’s more out of Miami:

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News has doubts about Heat owner Micky Arison’s willingness to pay the luxury tax next season, noting that bringing back Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng would give the Heat room for little else. If Dragic re-signs for the max and Wade and Deng return with salaries equivalent to the values of their player options, the rest of the guaranteed salary on the books for the Heat would send them above next season’s projected $81.6MM tax.
Heat president Pat Riley has offered Udonis Haslem to several teams in trade conversations in the past few years, league sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Windhorst’s piece juxtaposes Riley’s willingness to sacrifice loyalty for winning against similar choices LeBron James has made in light of Riley’s recent remarks that seem to show the Heat president questioning James’ decision to leave for Cleveland.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.